Deschutes Brewery

Deschutes Brewery

Company type	Private
Industry	Brewing
Founded	1 January 1988 (1988-01-01) in Bend, Oregon, United States
Founder	Gary Fish
Headquarters	Bend , United States
Area served	28 U.S. states, District of Columbia, international markets
Key people	Gary Fish (Founder)
Products	Craft beer (including Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Fresh Squeezed IPA, Chainbreaker White IPA, Obsidian Stout, Red Chair NWPA, Jubelale, The Abyss)
Website	deschutesbrewery.com

Deschutes Brewery is a craft beer producer located in Bend, Oregon, established in 1988 initially as a brewpub. Renowned for its signature brews like Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale, the company expanded its footprint by launching a second pub in Portland's Pearl District in 2008. From its primary brewing site, Deschutes distributes its beers to 28 states, the District of Columbia, and international markets. The brewery, named after Oregon's Deschutes River, was ranked as the eighth-largest craft brewery and fifteenth overall in the United States by 2016, with a production volume of 250,000 barrels recorded in 2012.

History

Deschutes Brewery & Public House was founded in 1988 by Gary Fish in downtown Bend, Oregon, drawing its name from the nearby Deschutes River. Fish adopted a community-oriented business model, stating, "We want people to feel like this is, in a lot of ways, theirs." The brewery’s initial output was 310 barrels during its first year, which increased to 3,954 barrels by 1992. To accommodate rising demand, the company expanded in 1993 into a 16,000 sq ft facility equipped with a 50-barrel brewing system. Presently, Deschutes runs two brewing houses and supplies beer across 28 states. In May 2008, it inaugurated a brewpub in Portland’s Pearl District.

In 2012, Deschutes augmented its production space by an additional 6,750 sq ft, raising annual capacity by 105,000 barrels through a two-phase expansion completed by spring 2013.

Gary Fish earned the Ernst & Young Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year Award in June 2013, recognizing his visionary leadership and business success.

Deschutes’ beers Swivelhead Red IRA and Da Shootz! both achieved the #1 spot on the Cold Cans podcast’s top 100 beers list, underscoring the brand’s strong market presence and acclaim.

In March 2016, Deschutes revealed intentions to establish an East Coast brewing facility in Roanoke, Virginia. The company secured 49 acres at the Roanoke Center for Industry and Technology and launched a Downtown Roanoke Tasting Room in 2017. However, due to declining beer sales and economic challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, production plans were halted in 2018 and the Tasting Room closed by late 2021.

Products

Deschutes Brewery offers a broad range of beers including Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Fresh Squeezed IPA, Chainbreaker White IPA, Obsidian Stout, Red Chair NWPA, Jubelale, and The Abyss. In 2006, it replaced Quail Springs IPA with Inversion IPA as its flagship year-round Northwest-style India Pale Ale.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2013, Deschutes introduced the Class of '88 series—a collaboration with other breweries founded the same year such as Rogue Ales, North Coast Brewing Company, Great Lakes Brewing Company, and Goose Island Beer Company.

Mirror Pond has received numerous accolades including a gold medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival and recognition as World's Best Premium Pale Ale that same year. Black Butte continues to be one of the leading craft porters nationwide. The seasonal Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale was honored as World's Best Beer in both 2010 and 2012.

Sustainability

Deschutes Brewery was honored with the 2012 Sustainability Award by the Central Oregon Environmental Center and earned recognition as a "Green Power Partner" from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2011. Beginning in 2012, the brewery pledged to return one billion gallons of water each year to the Deschutes River through a water leasing initiative, marking the largest contribution made within that program. The company fully compensates for its electricity usage by utilizing renewable energy sources and has achieved "Champion" designation in Pacific Power's Blue Sky program.

In 2019, Deschutes Brewery discontinued its affiliation with Oregon Businesses for Climate and expressed opposition to HB 2020, a proposed Oregon legislative measure aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

See also

• Brewing in Oregon